general problems of the 2016 Honda Pilot - part 2

Getting intermittent exhaust fumes inside the cabin. Co2 and other exhaust gasses getting inhaled by my family.

Auto start/stop feature has repeatedly struggled to restart car at stop lights. Disabling this feature manually after starting the car is the only way to disable this feature. Initial failures were due to battery wear, but after replacing the battery we still have intermittent issues where the vehicle will not restart after the auto stop feature has shut off the engine. This is very dangerous in traffic or in an intersection when expecting the vehicle to restart when you remove your foot from the gas and it instead shuts the vehicle off and puts the vehicle in park. It can take multiple tries to successfully restart the car after this shut down event. The dealership has not been able to replicate the issue.

Unable to open my gas cap door either by pushing the gas opener button by driver side door or manually from the latch located in the trunk. I was running low on gas and am unable to refill the gas. Others offered to help by forcing the gas door open but said they would definitely damage the car. Gas attended looked at it and was unable to open gas door to refill gas tank. Without gas, my car is unable to turn on and drive. My kids were in the car with me and we were stranded. My car did not show any signs of warnings for this issue.

The auto engine idle stop repeatedly malfunctions causing the stopped car to not start up when it is time to go. It takes several seconds to restart the car and, in the middle of an intersection, this is very dangerous. It has happened numerous times. The dealer repeatedly says that there is nothing wrong with it. There are no warning signs when this happens. I am reporting the date of the last incident below.

I am reporting a problem with the 2016 Honda Pilot audio system. It sounds identical to the reported problems that have lead to a recall for the 2018-2022 models. The system works fine initially, but anywhere from 10 min - 1 hour into driving the system becomes staticky. The static noise starts out low, but quickly gets to the point where nothing else can be heard. This is across all input channels: radio, ipod, xm satellite, etc. . The system then eventually shuts down and no sound can be heard.

While driving home, about 30 mph, multiple warning lights came on, transmission feels like it is shifting oddly, the steering gets harder to steer the longer you drive and it got harder to break like the brakes were freezing up.

The auto idle stop stalls and does not restart when you press the accelerator. I have been caught stalled in the middle of intersections too many times to count. Well over 100. It is extremely dangerous in city traffic. Other drivers behind me are honking horns and it takes a while to restart the car. I have narrowly avoided a serious accident at least 25 times. The dealer has been told about the problem numerous times and is aware of this happening with other people with the same car. They check it out and say that nothing is wrong but then it will stall again on the way home from the dealership. You have no warning when this is about to happen.

I am having issues with crackling and popping noises in my stereo system. I know that this is a common issue. I understand that there may be a recall.

This vehicle has had an excessive amount of problems. The electrical system seems to be failing after much maintenance. Determining if there is an electrical short. The car alarm randomly goes when not triggered. The entertainment panel randomly adjusts volume settings and turns on and off on its own. The sunroof has opened and not closed back due to electrical issue. The gas gauge does not add the available fuel correctly after refueling. Sometimes, the gauge remains at zero or the same number. There is a horrible, annoying squealing sound that is coming from the front lower portion of the vehicle when driving. No one, including the dealership, have been able to identify where this loud squealing sound is coming from. Currently, the ac has failed in 120 degree weather. It has been a horrible experience for our family and we regret purchasing this vehicle!.

Roof molding that runs along the top flat part of the roof from front to back, one on both sides right & left of the car. It is in place to connect and/or cover where the roof & body/ sides come together & were welded. Safety issue is that it falls off while the car is moving. Mine flew off on a major highway, while driving, which creates a risk to others on the road driving behind the vehicle. *Honda and my VIN search is stating it is not recalled. However, there was a 2018 Honda service bulletin stating the front end caps are loose & that this was a known issue. My vehicle falls under the: 2016 Pilot, all trim models & all VIN ranges was included. But Honda is not honoring this because the VIN# is not pulling up a recall. The updated notice from Honda is stating some VIN#s but mine flew off due to the issues with the clips & the other side that’s still intact is actually loose in the front & I have to be mindful & remember to keep che king to press it down & back in place or possibly tape it down. * dealership looked at the vehicle and confirmed that they were simple clipped on and known (2016-2017) to be an issue of them falling off. Advised me to cover until I can repair it, to prevent moisture, rust & possible future internal water damage.

Keyless control module, alarm goes off randomly with headlights coming on, draining the battery.

The rear view camera doesn’t always work on the display on the dash. When we put it in reverse the screen shows black instead of what is behind our vehicle. This issue is intermittent.

Unless I remember to disable "auto engine idle stop" my car will die at a light or any place I'm stopped. A bunch of random lights or warnings flash across the dashboard , brake won't push in, and I am unable to put it in neutral for my vehicle to be moved off the road or interstate. I have had cops park behind my completely dead vehicle stating "I just want to make sure the other cars on the road stay off your back so you don't get hit" all while we figure out why we can't even put it in neutral just to move it. We then have to jump-start it to get it moving again with no promises it will either start or stay on once started. Because this has happened multiple times, my vehicle has now been having issues starting at random, once happening the afternoon of 4/16/2023 after it wasn't driven the day before. My battery and alternator have both been checked and are excellent condition.

My sunroof glass spontaneously exploded. It was not hit by an object nor were temperatures extreme. Had my inside sunroof visor not been closed, the broken glass would’ve fallen on the vehicle occupants causing injury. I received a minor glass cut will taping the glass so that the vehicle could be driven home. The issue has been reported to insurance but no inspections have yet been made nor were police reports filed. There were no warning signs prior to the glass explosion, just a loud pop as the glass began popping up and cracking. I watched it happen from outside the car. Little pieces popped up onto the roof, then a wave went through the glass, portions fell into the sunroof, and then cracks ran though the entire pane. After researching, I learned this is a known glass defect issue with certain makes and models. I am fortunate that I had just parked; if I had been driving, the glass could’ve fallen into the car inurying occupants or could’ve flown off the car and hit other cars or pedestrians.

The keyless start systems problem light has been on for about a month and sometimes I have issues starting the vehicle.

I am reporting a problem with the 2016 Honda Pilot audio system. It sounds identical to the reported problems that have lead to a recall for the 2018-2022 models. The system works fine initially, but after 30 minutes of driving, the system becomes filled with static noise. The static noise starts out low, but quickly gets to the point where nothing else can be heard. This is across all input channels: am/fm radio, bluetooth, xm satellite, etc. . The system then eventually shuts down and no sound can be heard.

While traveling from northern illinois to sarasota, FL, vehicle transmission stopped functioning along I-75 near tifton, GA. It had been raining the entire trip. No one was injured. We were passing a vehicle in the left lane, and without any warning the transmission just stopped. We couldn’t accelerate. We coasted to the shoulder. We couldn’t put the vehicle into park. 2 warning lights/messages came emissions system failure and awd system failure. We turned off the car, waited 10 minutes, then drove to the nearest exit and turned off the car for an additional 45 minutes. The Honda dealership in sarasota said it needed a software upgrade. After paying for the upgrade we learned from a previous Honda engineer that it’s a known problem.

Auto idle stop randomly fails to restart engine when attempting to accelerate from stop. After coming to a stop and the idle stop feature engages, the vehicle may not restart. While in heavy traffic on interstates the failure to restart creates panic. Car stalls to neutral. Car must be turned off and restarted and then shifted to drive in order to accelerate. Same at traffic lights, or turn lanes, on hills, a sudden shut down requiring a complete restart. There are several steps required to get the vehicle to restart. This takes several seconds (enough time that traffic lights cycle). This results in following vehicles attempting to pass if a lane is available, angry motorists, and panicked driver. Car has been inspected by dealer but there is no fix for the problem. There are no warning lights or indicators that the system will or is about to fail. The problem apparently does not create any kind of “code” in the system. The only solution is to turn the system off each and every time you start the vehicle. The system cannot be legally disabled and by default it is always on when vehicle is started. This problem began approximately 18 months ago when the vehicle had @ 90k miles. Honda recently announced a software update and a warranty extension regarding the problem. The software update has been completed on the vehicle. However the problem continues. Honda’s apparent solution is to extend the warranty on the parts involved - the starter, or starter relays, or adjust the valves on the engine. But there is no “fix” for the problem. We are told to simply “continue to monitor”.

I see couple of safety concerns with 2016 Honda Pilot touring. 1) there is no option to disable 'tailgate opening & closing by fob' in 2016 Honda Pilot touring. Even with an unintentional small press of fob key tailgate button, the tailgate can open & hit anybody (may be the car next in school lane) or anything in the back (may be garage door) 2) there is no option to adjust height of tailgate in 2016 Honda Pilot touring. It can hit top of garage of any house & cause safety issue Honda should take action to recall & rectify those part for human & property safety.

This problem is the auto stop/start mechanism. This has been going on for at least 3-4 years. The car will automatically stop when we are at a red light or a stop sign, but then will not start when you press the gas. The vehicle is completely dead. It is completely cut off. It has powered down. You are in the drive gear, so you must have the presence of mind to switch the vehicle to park, put your foot on the brake and press start. It's very frightening if you are at a big intersection. This happens every time you drive for any distance. It doesn't happen at every intersection; it's an intermittent problem making it worse. We try to remember to disable the auto stop/start when we start but sometimes we forget. There is no way to permanently disable the feature or we would. It's a scary pain.

Front windshield wiper washer jet hood nozzle sprayer fell off and is lost. Called Honda dealer. They checked with Honda corporation and are advised that there are 1,100 of these on back order. Lead time is approximately 4 months! without this part, windshield cannot be cleaned by the windshield washer should it be urgently needed while traveling down highway. This puts safety at risk.

1. My moonroof/sunroof will not close. When trying to close it, it comes close to closing then opens up again. Tried to close multiple times and the same result. Then I tried to hold down the wind deflector as it closes and hope not to pinch my finger. After trying that multiple times, I was able to close my moonroof/sunroof. 2. With a moonroof unable to close, weather could come in and compromise the safety of everyone in the car. Further, holding down the wind deflector while trying to close could injure someone if the timing is not right. 3. Have not taken it to dealer yet. 4. Has not been inspected yet. 5. No warning lamps or messages prior to failure of closing moonroof.

When driving my 2016 Honda Pilot touring and forgetting to turn off the auto idle my car will completely shut off and not turn on. This has happened a total of 3 times since owning my car. All three have occurred at a red light intersection. I’m grateful nobody has rear ended me in these occurrences. It seems when the car tries to start the engine, all the dashboard lights light up and we get the messages lane departure mitigation or brake problem and the car stalls. The first occurrence happened in October of 2020 and we had to jumpstart the battery. This happened on a short 15 mile trip. We replaced the battery at that time. The 2nd and 3rd time was this past week of January 2, 2023 when driving a long distance trip 500-1000 miles. Luckily the car started back up since we were on a trip and did not have family or friends in the area.

The auto start on vehicle is defective. When sitting at red light the vehicle shuts off and the when you go to excelerate the car stalls. I have taken to 2 Honda dealers and have been told that your agency is investigating problem. This has happened repeatedly and the dealer doesn’t have fix. Does it take someone getting hurt for Honda to address issue.

The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the auto start/stop function engaged. Vehicle must be placed in park and attempt to restart. Sometimes restart does not happen for several tries. Has happened 10-15 times over the last 3 years, since around 30,000 miles, and dealership has tried investigating and have failed to remedy after 3 separate visits. Date indicated in this report is the latest occurrence.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the liftgate malfunctioned. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I opened the liftgate for my wife and it closed while she was trying to take something from the back. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? it has not been confirmed by a dealer or anyone else. It happens sporatically. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? the car makes a loud beeping noise when closing. It first happened on December 4, 2022. And it has happened a few times since then including yesterday.

The car just stopped while being driven in the freeway around December 2022. It was towed to the dealership and they said that the engine "seized. " we wrote a letter to Honda and they said that it was our fault (car has very little miles- it's a family car). The engine light was never resolved even after engine was replaced. Honda then came out with a recall for 2016 Honda Pilot for engine seizing but they said my VIN did not qualify although this was the exact same issue. I tried reaching out with them to no avail. I am afraid to transport my children in this vehicle and I have already spend over 10k fixing it. It also feels unethical to sell the vehicle knowing it's defective. If possible, please look into the VIN's that are part of the recall since I am afraid there are a lot more cars driving in the freeway from the manufacturer that has the same issue which pose a safety concern to the passengers and the cars around it.

When car stops due to auto idle it then stalls and gos into neutral shutting of engine completely with collision warning coming up. Then have to shut car off , put into park before it struggles to restart. I have documented on 2 other occasions with NHTSA and to be honest if I was to document this every time you would have 100’s of reports from me. This vehicle is dangerous due to auto idle. I try to over ride it if I remember but that’s not always the case. I have taken it to hoehn Honda in carlsbad CA multiple times but to no avail can they fix it. As a consumer I’m trying my best to take safety seriously as this car will kill someone. When will Honda or the goverment take this seriously. The defect in this car the auto idle needs to be looked at or recalled.

All warning lights turned on during a normal drive. The dealer said it is a harness issue and needs to replace the harness to fix the issue. Surprised that a part that does not move had to be replaced. It has happened a couple of times before.

Hi, today my 2016 Pilot elite stop working on a red light. Once the brake pedal was released, the engine stop and warning lights appeared on the dash board: neautral message light and battery light. My wife and two daughters were scared and helpless. Cars were honking. After around 2 minutes and at least three tries to turn on, it finally did. We are happy to know that Honda is working on this matter, thanks.

The automatic start/stop function works intermittently when I come to a complete stop or turn off the car for a short amount of time. Most of the time, when I make a complete stop, the Honda Pilot won't automatically restart. I have to put the Honda Pilot in park and restart the engine, which still doesn't work. I have to wait a significant amount of time before reattempting the ignition. If I disable the automatic shut-off feature when I turn on the Honda Pilot, the SUV drives like normal. However, there is no permanent vehicle setting to disable the automatic shut-off. Lastly, the SUV usually won't restart even if I make a short duration stop, such as pump gas or running inside a store. At first this was a rare occurrence. Over tha past year, the Honda Pilot has gotten worse. Now, it's an everyday occurrence.

On multiple occasions, the engine fails to restart after the auto start/stop function has engaged. I have previously had this addressed by a Honda dealer at which time they replaced some parts having to do with the ignition system. The problem is still occurring and the only remedy is to manually shut off the auto start/stop function each time the vehicle is driven.

2016 Honda Pilot touring model issue: idle-stop feature while driving the vehicle and comes on the intersection/stop light when you hit brakes the idle-stop feature will turn off your engine but once you release the brakes the engine wont turn on. To able to turn on the engine, you need to turn off the vehicle by pressing ignition button then you need to press it again to turn on engine (is like starting the vehicle again). Here some stances happened while this idle stop didnt work well. Driver at the back, you're using cellphone, start honking and when they by pass you yelling stop using cellphone. Or simple honk you and when you look they're confused as we're you what's going on. Honda or other people saying its related to battery but even with new battery this still happened. If this will not be fix or resolve soon, this cause an accident. Either remove this feature or fixed this issue.

My car often does not start back up at stop signs/traffic lights. I feel very much in danger. It is difficult to get my car to start back up after it fails to start back up. I usually have to press really hard on the brake and even this is difficult to get it to restart. This is supposed to save fuel but I’m so afraid that someone is going to crash into me and put us all in harms way. Please help!.

My 2016 Honda Pilot touring model won’t restart after idle stopped. I have to place car in park and restart using the start button. Issue occurs only when can idle stops. This has happened to us about 5 - 6 times over a course of 1 year. Detailed says they are unable to find the issue after a software scan. This is a serious safety concern.